Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a magnetically damped mounting and isolation device and, more particularly, to a mounting system for a payload aboard a space vehicle which includes three bidirectional magnetic dampers connected between an isolator plate and a base plate and arranged to provide damping of all six degrees of freedom of isolator plate motion relative to the base plate, where the mounting system may include a motion amplification feature to increase magnetic damping effectiveness, and the mounting system may also include active positioning.
Description of the Related Art
Many different types of devices which ride onboard satellites and other space vehicles require specially designed mounting systems. For example, a telescope which rides on a satellite must be mounted so that vibrations from the satellite are not transmitted to the telescope, thus allowing the telescope to focus clearly on its target. For another example, a rotating or reciprocating machine such as a reaction wheel or compressor which rides on a space vehicle must be mounted so that the vibrations from the reaction wheel or compressor are not transmitted back into the space vehicle.
At the same time, the environmental conditions in outer space are extreme, and performance requirements are stringent. Space-based mounting systems must be maintenance-free, must be designed to efficiently utilize mass, must consume little or no energy, and must operate in widely varying temperatures. The temperature range requirement is particularly demanding, and makes it undesirable to use viscoelastic materials or viscous damping in a space-based mounting system. This is because all damping elastomers and fluids, even magneto-rheological (MR) damping fluids, experience changes in viscosity with temperature, and these viscosity changes are significant in the conditions of outer space, where temperatures may range from cryogenic (extreme cold) to moderately hot.
A vibration isolating mounting system is needed which does not need temperature control and can be used in widely varying temperature conditions, which makes effective use of mass, and which requires no energy input to provide the required damping.